2 Samuel 13:20-28

13:20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take it so seriously!” ¹  Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.

13:21 Now King David heard about all these things and was very angry. ²  13:22 But Absalom said nothing to Amnon, either bad or good, yet Absalom hated Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Has Amnon Put to Death

13:23 Two years later Absalom’s sheepshearers were in Baal Hazor, ³  near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 13:24 Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work. ⁴  Let the king and his servants go with me.”

13:25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom ⁵  pressed ⁶  him, the king ⁷  was not willing to go. Instead, David ⁸  blessed him.

13:26 Then Absalom said, “If you will not go, ⁹  then let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king replied to him, “Why should he go with you?” 13:27 But when Absalom pressed him, he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons along with him.

13:28 Absalom instructed his servants, “Look! When Amnon is drunk ¹⁰  and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ kill him then and there. Don’t fear! Is it not I who have given you these instructions? Be strong and courageous!” ¹¹ 

2 Samuel 14:24--15:18

14:24 But the king said, “Let him go over ¹²  to his own house. He may not see my face.” So Absalom went over ¹³  to his own house; he did not see the king’s face.

14:25 Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom. ¹⁴  From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance. ¹⁵  14:26 When he would shave his head – at the end of every year he used to shave his head, for it grew too long ¹⁶  and he would shave it – he used to weigh the hair of his head at three pounds ¹⁷  according to the king’s weight. 14:27 Absalom had ¹⁸  three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a very attractive woman. ¹⁹ 

14:28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king’s face. 14:29 Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to come. 14:30 So he said to his servants, “Look, Joab has a portion of field adjacent to mine and he has some barley there. Go and set it on fire.” ²⁰  So Absalom’s servants set Joab’s ²¹  portion of the field on fire.

14:31 Then Joab got up and came to Absalom’s house. He said to him, “Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?” 14:32 Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent a message to you saying, ‘Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message: ²²  “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.”’ Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!”

14:33 So Joab went to the king and informed him. The king ²³  summoned Absalom, and he came to the king. Absalom ²⁴  bowed down before the king with his face toward the ground and the king kissed him. ²⁵ 

Absalom Leads an Insurrection against David

15:1 Some time later Absalom managed to acquire ²⁶  a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. ²⁷  15:2 Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, ²⁸  am from one of the tribes of Israel.” 15:3 Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate. ²⁹  But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.” 15:4 Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me ³⁰  a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint ³¹  could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”

15:5 When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom ³²  would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him. 15:6 Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty ³³  of the citizens ³⁴  of Israel.

15:7 After four ³⁵  years Absalom said to the king, “Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the Lord while I was in Hebron. 15:8 For I made this vow ³⁶  when I was living in Geshur in Aram: ‘If the Lord really does allow me to return to Jerusalem, ³⁷  I will serve the Lord.’” 15:9 The king replied to him, “Go in peace.” So Absalom ³⁸  got up and went to Hebron.

15:10 Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, “When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume ³⁹  that Absalom rules in Hebron.” 15:11 Now two hundred men had gone with Absalom from Jerusalem. Since they were invited, they went naively and were unaware of what Absalom was planning. ⁴⁰  15:12 While he was offering sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s adviser, ⁴¹  to come from his city, Giloh. ⁴²  The conspiracy was gaining momentum, and the people were starting to side with Absalom.

David Flees from Jerusalem

15:13 Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!” ⁴³  15:14 So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, ⁴⁴  “Come on! ⁴⁵  Let’s escape! ⁴⁶  Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring ⁴⁷  disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” ⁴⁸  15:15 The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.” ⁴⁹ 

15:16 So the king and all the members of his royal court ⁵⁰  set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines ⁵¹  to attend to the palace. 15:17 The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing ⁵²  at a spot ⁵³  some distance away. 15:18 All his servants were leaving with him, ⁵⁴  along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites – some six hundred men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with ⁵⁵  the king.

2 Samuel 17:1-14

The Death of Ahithophel

17:1 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night. 17:2 When I catch up with ⁵⁶  him he will be exhausted and worn out. ⁵⁷  I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king 17:3 and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone. ⁵⁸  The entire army will return unharmed.” ⁵⁹ 

17:4 This seemed like a good idea to Absalom and to all the leaders ⁶⁰  of Israel. 17:5 But Absalom said, “Call for ⁶¹  Hushai the Arkite, and let’s hear what he has to say.” ⁶²  17:6 So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

17:7 Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.” ⁶³  17:8 Hushai went on to say, “You know your father and his men – they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs. ⁶⁴  Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army. 17:9 At this very moment he is hiding out in one of the caves or in some other similar place. If it should turn out that he attacks our troops first, ⁶⁵  whoever hears about it will say, ‘Absalom’s army has been slaughtered!’ 17:10 If that happens even the bravest soldier – one who is lion-hearted – will virtually melt away. For all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and that those who are with him are brave. 17:11 My advice therefore is this: Let all Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba – in number like the sand by the sea! – be mustered to you, and you lead them personally into battle. 17:12 We will come against him wherever he happens to be found. We will descend on him like the dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will be spared alive – not one of them! 17:13 If he regroups in a city, all Israel will take up ropes to that city and drag it down to the valley, so that not a single pebble will be left there!”

17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite sounds better than the advice of Ahithophel.” Now the Lord had decided ⁶⁶  to frustrate the sound advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster on Absalom.

2 Samuel 18:9-18

18:9 Then Absalom happened to come across David’s men. Now as Absalom was riding on his ⁶⁷  mule, it ⁶⁸  went under the branches of a large oak tree. His head got caught in the oak and he was suspended in midair, ⁶⁹  while the mule he had been riding kept going.

18:10 When one ⁷⁰  of the men saw this, he reported it to Joab saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree. 18:11 Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, “What! You saw this? Why didn’t you strike him down right on the spot? ⁷¹  I would have given you ten pieces of silver ⁷²  and a commemorative belt!” ⁷³ 

18:12 The man replied to Joab, “Even if ⁷⁴  I were receiving ⁷⁵  a thousand pieces of silver, ⁷⁶  I would not strike ⁷⁷  the king’s son! In our very presence ⁷⁸  the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’ ⁷⁹  18:13 If I had acted at risk of my own life ⁸⁰  – and nothing is hidden from the king! – you would have abandoned me.” ⁸¹ 

18:14 Joab replied, “I will not wait around like this for you!” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the middle of Absalom while he was still alive in the middle of the oak tree. ⁸²  18:15 Then ten soldiers who were Joab’s armor bearers struck Absalom and finished him off.

18:16 Then Joab blew the trumpet ⁸³  and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt. 18:17 They took Absalom, threw him into a large pit in the forest, and stacked a huge pile of stones over him. In the meantime all the Israelite soldiers fled to their homes. ⁸⁴ 

18:18 Prior to this ⁸⁵  Absalom had set up a monument ⁸⁶  and dedicated it to himself in the King’s Valley, reasoning “I have no son who will carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom’s Memorial.

2 Samuel 18:33

18:33 (19:1) ⁸⁷  The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son, ⁸⁸  Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!” ⁸⁹ 

[13:20]  ¹ tn Heb “Don’t set your heart to this thing!”

[13:21]  ² tc The LXX and part of the Old Latin tradition include the following addition to v. 21, also included in some English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, CEV): “But he did not grieve the spirit of Amnon his son, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn.” Note David’s attitude toward his son Adonijah in 1 Kgs 1:6.

[13:23]  ³ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

[13:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “your servant has sheepshearers.” The phrase “your servant” also occurs at the end of the verse.

[13:25]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:25]  ⁶ tc Here and in v. 27 the translation follows 4QSam^a ויצפר (vayyitspar, “and he pressed”) rather than the MT וַיִּפְרָץ (vayyiprats, “and he broke through”). This emended reading seems also to underlie the translations of the LXX (καὶ ἐβιάσατο, kai ebiasato), the Syriac Peshitta (we’alseh), and Vulgate (cogeret eum).

[13:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:26]  ⁹ tn Heb “and not.”

[13:28]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “when good is the heart of Amnon with wine.”

[13:28]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and become sons of valor.”

[14:24]  ¹² tn Heb “turn aside.”

[14:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “turned aside.”

[14:25]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Like Absalom there was not a handsome man in all Israel to boast exceedingly.”

[14:25]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “there was not in him a blemish.”

[14:26]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for it was heavy upon him.”

[14:26]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “two hundred shekels.” The modern equivalent would be about three pounds (1.4 kg).

[14:27]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and there were born.”

[14:27]  ¹⁹ tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And she became a wife to Rehoboam the son of Solomon and bore to him Abia.”

[14:30]  ²⁰ tc The LXX adds here the following words: “And the servants of Absalom burned them up. And the servants of Joab came to him, rending their garments. They said….”

[14:30]  ²¹ tn The word “Joab’s” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:32]  ²² tn Heb “saying.”

[14:33]  ²³ tn Heb “he.” Joab, acting on behalf of the king, may be the implied subject.

[14:33]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:33]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Absalom.” For stylistic reasons the name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation.

[15:1]  ²⁶ tn Heb “acquired for himself.”

[15:1]  ²⁷ tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”

[15:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “your servant.” So also in vv. 8, 15, 21.

[15:3]  ²⁹ tn Heb “good and straight.”

[15:4]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Who will make me?”

[15:4]  ³¹ tn Heb “a complaint and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[15:5]  ³² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ³³ tn Heb “stole the heart.”

[15:6]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the men.”

[15:7]  ³⁵ tc The MT has here “forty,” but this is presumably a scribal error for “four.” The context will not tolerate a period of forty years prior to the rebellion of Absalom. The Lucianic Greek recension (τέσσαρα ἔτη, tessara ete), the Syriac Peshitta (’arba’ sanin), and Vulgate (post quattuor autem annos) in fact have the expected reading “four years.” Most English translations follow the versions in reading “four” here, although some (e.g. KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), following the MT, read “forty.”

[15:8]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for your servant vowed a vow.” The formal court style of referring to one’s self in third person (“your servant”) has been translated here as first person for clarity.

[15:8]  ³⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:9]  ³⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Absalom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ³⁹ tn Heb “say.”

[15:11]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “being invited and going naively and they did not know anything.”

[15:12]  ⁴¹ tn Traditionally, “counselor,” but this term is more often associated with psychological counseling today, so “adviser” was used in the translation instead.

[15:12]  ⁴² tn Heb “Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the adviser of David, from his city, from Giloh, while he was sacrificing.” It is not entirely clear who (Absalom or Ahithophel) was offering the sacrifices.

[15:13]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the heart of the men of Israel is with Absalom.”

[15:14]  ⁴⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[15:14]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Arise!”

[15:14]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “let’s flee.”

[15:14]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “thrust.”

[15:14]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”

[15:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “according to all that my lord the king will choose, behold your servants!”

[15:16]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and all his house.”

[15:16]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “women, concubines.”

[15:17]  ⁵² tn Heb “and they stood.”

[15:17]  ⁵³ tn Heb “house.”

[15:18]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “crossing over near his hand.”

[15:18]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “crossing over near the face of.”

[17:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and I will come upon him.”

[17:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “exhausted and slack of hands.”

[17:3]  ⁵⁸ tc Heb “like the returning of all, the man whom you are seeking.” The LXX reads differently: “And I will return all the people to you the way a bride returns to her husband, except for the life of the one man whom you are seeking.” The other early versions also struggled with this verse. Modern translations are divided as well: the NAB, NRSV, REB, and NLT follow the LXX, while the NASB and NIV follow the Hebrew text.

[17:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “all of the people will be safe.”

[17:4]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “elders.”

[17:5]  ⁶¹ tc In the MT the verb is singular, but in the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate it is plural.

[17:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “what is in his mouth.”

[17:7]  ⁶³ tn Heb “Not good is the advice which Ahithophel has advised at this time.”

[17:8]  ⁶⁴ tc The LXX (with the exception of the recensions of Origen and Lucian) repeats the description as follows: “Just as a female bear bereft of cubs in a field.”

[17:9]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “that he falls on them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] at the first [encounter]; or “that some of them [i.e., Absalom’s troops] fall at the first [encounter].”

[17:14]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “commanded.”

[18:9]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “the.”

[18:9]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “the donkey.”

[18:9]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “between the sky and the ground.”

[18:10]  ⁷⁰ tc 4QSam^a lacks the word “one.”

[18:11]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “Why did you not strike him down there to the ground.”

[18:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “ten [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 4 ounces (114 grams) of silver by weight.

[18:11]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and a girdle” (so KJV); NIV “a warrior’s belt”; CEV “a special belt”; NLT “a hero’s belt.”

[18:12]  ⁷⁴ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וְלוּ (vÿlu, “and if”) rather than MT וְלֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[18:12]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “weighing out in my hand.”

[18:12]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “a thousand [shekels] of silver.” This would have been about 25 pounds (11.4 kg) of silver by weight.

[18:12]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “extend my hand against.”

[18:12]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “in our ears.”

[18:12]  ⁷⁹ tc The Hebrew text is very difficult here. The MT reads מִי (mi, “who”), apparently yielding the following sense: “Show care, whoever you might be, for the youth Absalom.” The Syriac Peshitta reads li (“for me”), the Hebrew counterpart of which may also lie behind the LXX rendering μοι (moi, “for me”). This reading seems preferable here, since it restores sense to the passage and most easily explains the rise of the variant.

[18:13]  ⁸⁰ tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and a number of the ancient versions in reading בְנַפְשִׁי (vÿnafshi, “against my life”) rather than the MT בְנַפְשׁוֹ (vÿnafsho, “against his life”).

[18:13]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “stood aloof.”

[18:14]  ⁸² tn There is a play on the word “heart” here that is difficult to reproduce in English. Literally the Hebrew text says “he took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the heart of the oak tree.” This figure of speech involves the use of the same word in different senses and is known as antanaclasis. It is illustrated in the familiar saying from the time of the American Revolution: “If we don’t hang together, we will all hang separately.” The present translation understands “heart” to be used somewhat figuratively for “chest” (cf. TEV, CEV), which explains why Joab’s armor bearers could still “kill” Absalom after he had been stabbed with three spears through the “heart.” Since trees do not have “chests” either, the translation uses “middle.”

[18:16]  ⁸³ tn Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).

[18:17]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “and all Israel fled, each to his tent.” In this context this refers to the supporters of Absalom (see vv. 6-7, 16).

[18:18]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and.” This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) describes an occurrence that preceded the events just narrated.

[18:18]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “a pillar.”

[18:33]  ⁸⁷ sn This marks the beginning of ch. 19 in the Hebrew text. Beginning with 18:33, the verse numbers through 19:43 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 18:33 ET = 19:1 HT, 19:1 ET = 19:2 HT, 19:2 ET = 19:3 HT, etc., through 19:43 ET = 19:44 HT. From 20:1 the versification in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible is again the same.

[18:33]  ⁸⁸ tc One medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of the LXX, and the Vulgate lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.

[18:33]  ⁸⁹ tc The Lucianic Greek recension and Syriac Peshitta lack this repeated occurrence of “my son” due to haplography.